John Switzer commentary: Graveyard’s tales give cause for reflection

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Sunday October 13, 2013 6:22 AM

Some friends and I drove to Guernsey County the other day to check out the scenery and look for
early fall color.

Believe me, there is early color this year, and it’s shaping up to be an extremely colorful
fall.

An urban forester for the Ohio Division of Forestry who was at the Paul Bunyan Festival on the
county fairgrounds in Cambridge last weekend told me he thinks the color is early partly because of
the moisture we got this summer.

Remember, we had a drought last summer, and some of the autumn leaves just turned brown and fell
off the trees.

During our journey through that hilly countryside, we stumbled upon Salem Baptist Church and its
accompanying graveyard. A sign said the land had been deeded for the church in 1826.

We got out of the car, and I began wandering through the cemetery as I often do in old burying
grounds. Many of the old stones tell or hint at intriguing stories behind the burials.

One of the first things you notice in those places is how many children died while they were
young, often from ailments that are now curable. A scratch on a finger could lead to death. One
family lost three children. People had to be tough back then.

I was drawn to one grave because it had an old weathered stone on it and a newer stone right
beside it. It had a veteran’s marker on it and a brand new American flag. The old stone was
unreadable, but the new stone was inscribed: “James C. Foreacre, captain, Lyles Co., Virginia
Militia, Revolutionary War.”

Now you don’t see a Revolutionary War veteran’s grave in Ohio every day. Foreacre lived from
1754 to 1849, a ripe old age.

The cemetery was filled with veterans’ graves. All were lovingly kept up and marked with
flags.

One such marked grave was for James Hartley, a Civil War veteran who is not actually buried
below the marker. The marker is just a memorial for the fallen warrior. Hartley was a member of Co.
E, 122nd Regiment of the Ohio Voluntary Infantry. He was killed in action in the bloody battle at
Cold Harbor, Va., where he is buried.

His widow lived until 1929 and is buried beside her husband’s empty grave. Now, that’s a
dramatic story behind that stone!

Besides other Civil War veterans, there are also World War I veterans buried there.

Yes, those old stones tell stories from the past. And when you leave such places, your head is
full of many deep thoughts and questions about what you have seen.

One more thing: Salem Baptist Church, built in 1826, is still operating. Glory be!